


Foxhole

by genovianprince



Series: Animal Crossing: New Horizons [1]
Category: Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Fandom, どうぶつの森 | Animal Crossing Series
Genre: Gen, Mild Swearing, but Tom gets to be free of Redd's jerkiness so yay, not a happy fic for them because Redd's a jerk, the Nook/Redd is a past relationship, they fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:47:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23904094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genovianprince/pseuds/genovianprince
Summary: Tom Nook didn't think he'd ever trust another fox after Redd broke his heart. He moved to a completely deserted island to get away from the memories and start fresh. Then, a fox showed up as one of the people who'd purchased his deserted island getaway package. Because of course they did. The universe hates Tom Nook.
Relationships: Tanukichi | Tom Nook/Tsunekichi | Redd
Series: Animal Crossing: New Horizons [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727479
Comments: 6
Kudos: 102





	Foxhole

**Author's Note:**

> Tobias is me/my fursona. I don't like that I can't play as an animal in animal crossing so I made it real in this fic!

Tom Nook had sworn off ever dealing with a fox again after finally breaking the cycle and dumping that low-lying, two-faced, fox Jolly Redd. Foxes were never to be trusted. He sighed as he came home to his apartment for the last night he’d ever be there. Tomorrow, he’d be setting up on a completely deserted island to turn a new leaf. Sail to new horizons.

And never deal with a fox again.

Of course, that plan immediately went to shit the moment the three people who’d purchased his package showed up on the plaza area. Hazel, a red squirrel - she was fine. Lyman, a green koala - he was also fine.

But  _ goddamnit, _ a fox had purchased it as well. Of  _ three _ people, which was disappointing enough, one of them had to be a rotten fox when he’d been trying to come here to forget Jolly Redd.

At least he was a white, arctic fox, Tom thought, maybe it wouldn’t be  _ so _ bad. Tobias already was very different from Redd, being an arctic fox who’d dyed a tuft of hair over his head purple and the tip of his tail the same. His… style certainly was interesting. Redd only ever wore aprons, too lazy for anything more special. One of the reasons they broke up. Redd never bothered to dress up for anything.

It  _ did  _ strike him as intriguing that Tobias wore pants. Most animals didn’t; that was a more human thing. Somehow, it worked for him, though Tom was loathe to admit it. Black, acid-washed jeans with a matching jacket and a purple shirt nearly the same color as the dye on his fur, plus fingerless gloves.

He shook the thoughts from his head and mustered up a fake grin. “Welcome to our deserted island getaway package,” he began his prepared speech, hardly thinking about it. He was always a smooth talker, just like Redd, that’s why they’d gotten together in the first place. They had done everything together. Ran businesses, sweet-talked people into buying things that maybe they didn’t necessarily need, but were authentic and high-quality. At least, Tom had always ensured that. Redd had never bothered. Used his silver tongue to enchant Tom and others, spinning a web of lies and scams that ended in heartbreak so many times, until Tom had finally put his foot down and jumped ship.

Only to end up in the company of another fox.

A fox that, it seemed, everyone else on the island adored. Even his island name got all the votes - Arendelle. A  _ Frozen _ fan. Tom wanted to groan, but he just grinned and bore it.

And of course, he ended up making the fucking fox Resident Representative, because it would’ve been blasphemy not to, after Tobias was so kind to everyone on the island so far and was working hard to help bring their little island to life.

As the weeks passed and Tobias spent most of his days fixing up the island, even going so far as to de-weed the entire place and plant as many flowers as he could afford, Tom found himself warming up to the guy, which, quite honestly, led to a few sleepless nights, wondering if he was actually seeing Tobias for his true self. Tobias seemed so earnest and genuine, talking to every neighbor at least a few times a day, and giving gifts, and fixing up the island so it looked wonderful. Was this truly shifty behavior? Was Tobias playing the long con for some reason? It was driving Tom insane. He was grateful when Isabelle could finally join them. At least he had someone to vent to, now, and maybe put him in his place.

She nearly chewed his ears off with her lecture about not judging Tobias by the same metric as Redd. For one thing, Tom was fucking  _ forty, _ Tobias was half his age, and clearly raised by people who had loved him and taught him well. Tobias always put in the hard, dirty work where he could and even was prompt in paying off his loans despite Tom’s generous payment schedule. Why, Tobias even went through the trouble of  _ organizing the fruit trees _ into a nice orchard layout. 

Tom hated that he’d let Redd so thoroughly change his life like that. It wasn’t Tobias’s fault Redd had sucked away almost twenty years of Tom’s life by being a dodgy, scummy, shifty little prick. He vowed to treat Tobias more than simply civilly from then on. Clearly, this fox was different.

When he learned of the deerfox named Elsa, he understood why Tobias liked  _ Frozen _ so much and why their wonderful island was named frigging Arendelle. Elsa was Tobias’s best friend who sometimes came to visit. He also understood, then, just by seeing her, why Tobias dyed so much of his fur bright purple. Elsa was mostly white with bright pink splashed all over. The two really were two peas in a pod.

Unfortunately, Tom only had about one month of bliss before there were rumors.

Rumors of a shifty red fox docking at the back of the island and trying to sell art to the residents. It was Raymond who’d brought it to his and Isabelle’s attentions, and Tom had the most horrible, nauseating feeling it was Jolly Redd.

Hearing that Tobias was blindly buying art from the shifty character and trying to donate it to the museum was really the last straw. Tom wasn’t going to let Redd manipulate another young, eager to please, too quick to trust lad. Tobias… clearly didn’t have an eye for fakes, or even art in general, since Tom personally thought that anyone with eyes could tell them apart, but… Tobias was really loose with his Bells. Tom  _ did _ wonder if Tobias was truly just that dense, or just trying to be kind to the old fox. It really could’ve gone either way.

It didn’t really matter. Tom grinned grimly as he made his way through the tunnel Tobias had carved in the cliffs to the back beach where Redd “secretly” docked, hoping that Tobias was too busy with gardening to notice.

He took some glee in watching Redd go nearly as white as Tobias when the fox saw Tom enter. 

“Long time, no see,” Tom said in his most professional voice, “And I see that you’re conducting illegal business on my island.”

“Aw, Nooky, sweetheart,” Redd said, voice like oil to Tom’s ears instead of the honey it used to be, “I didn’t know you lived here!”

Tom crossed his arms. “Don’t call me that. You have no right to, anymore.”

Redd pouted. “But sweetheart, look, I’m not doing anything wrong! Just selling paintings to the lovely folks on your island!”

“Selling fakes,” Tom retorted, “Which is illegal. Leave and never come back, Redd.”

“Aww, come on, Nooky. The people here love ‘em even if they  _ are _ fakes. They’re still paintings, so what if they’re not the originals, right? That Tobias fellow - couldn’t help but notice, he’s a fox? Who you appointed as  _ Resident Representative? _ What happened to never dealing with one of my shifty kind again?” Redd said, slick as oil, and a grin twice as nice.

“Something I said in anger when you broke my heart for the last time,” Tom said with a scowl. “You’ve always been this way, Redd, and you never changed in almost twenty years. I begged you to. I was desperate to be with you forever because you made me feel loved, even though your shady business practices and the way you trampled all over me were wrong. Because you smiled, and said you loved me, and gave me well-thought gifts. But I had to constantly question the legitimacy, I had to rebuild half my reputation because you were slinging mud all over it by calling me yours and then doing more illegal  _ shit, _ Redd. I meant it when I said I wanted you out of my life forever a few months ago. I want you to get the  _ fuck _ off my island and leave forever.”

Redd was blessedly silent for a few moments, perhaps contemplating what Tom was saying.

“I can change,” he finally whispered.

“So you said before,” Tom said bitterly.

There was a clattering and Tom and Redd both startled, turning to look at the staircase where Tobias was coming down. He paused, giving them both a caught-in-the-headlights look and whuffed nervously.

“Ah, I, uh, can, um, come back, er, later?” he stammered, tail tucking between his legs. “Or, uh… You guys look like you might want someone here in case something happens? Because the atmosphere here definitely feels like you’re pissed at each other.”

“Cousin!” Redd said gleefully, and Tom noted how distinctly uncomfortable Tobias looked with that endearment, “Come, come, no, no, nothing’s wrong at all! Just having a friendly chat with my old friend Tom. What painting would you like to look at today, hm? Serene? Perfect?”

Tom made a sound of disbelief.  _ “Old friend?! _ You tell me you can change and then turn around and deny that we knew each other quite differently just so you can make a quick Bell?”

Tobias sucked in a breath. “Wait, you two are… exes?” he whispered, eyes wide.

Redd’s grin froze on his face. “Oh yes, but that was long ago, now, you don’t want to hear that old story.”

Tom clenched his paws into fists at that. “We broke up less than a year ago after a nearly twenty year relationship!” he growled, “What are you talking about,  _ old story?” _

Tobias inhaled sharply. “Mr. Nook? Is it because he sells fake stuff?”

Tom nodded, feeling vindictive glee when Redd didn’t have any response.

“Right then.” Tobias turned to face Redd, and in that moment, he became an almost entirely different mammal.

His hackles raised, for one. His tail puffed up and rose back from between his legs, feet planted squarely. He drew himself to his full height and glared down at Redd.

“Get. Off. My. Island,” he growled, low and deep, “Never return. I was buying your shit just to be nice to you because you seemed harmless, but you fucked up with the best man on the island. Your behavior is fucking  _ appalling. _ You don’t deserve such a stand-up guy and you definitely don’t deserve my business, pitying as it was. Tom Nook’s better than you’ll ever be, and it seems you don’t want to change that anyway, or else you wouldn’t be selling me fake art. As soon as Mr. Nook and I are off this boat, you sail away and never come back. Got it?”

Redd nodded slowly, not saying another word. It was the first time Tom had heard him be quiet for so long, and he followed Tobias off the boat and all the way back to the plaza area. Once inside Resident Services, Tobias collapsed on the chair in front of Tom’s desk and placed his head in his paws.

“Oh my God I can’t believe I just did that,” he said in one big breath, exhaling harshly and shaking, “I hate confrontation, I normally can’t do that kind of thing, oh my  _ God.  _ I’m so sorry Mr. Nook, I thought he was a harmless old guy and felt kind of bad for him, hocking such…. Plainly fake art? So I figured I’d help him out? I had  _ no idea _ he was just, like, a total asshat and hurt you so much, I’m so sorry.”

Tom laid a comforting paw on Tobias’s shoulder. “It’s hardly your fault, Tobias,” he said gently, “And call me Tom, okay? You certainly deserve that honor after what you did for me tonight.”

Tobias gave Tom a wobbly smile. “Thanks. I’m still sorry that he… uh, happened to you.”

Tom gave a chuckle at the awkward wording. “I’m doing just fine. Have been ever since I got a fresh start on this island. I have many lovely new friends who apparently care very deeply about me. I’m done letting him hurt me. And now I’m done letting him hurt my friends.”

Tobias smiled, much firmer and brighter, and Tom’s heart felt warm. He hadn’t expected to ever like another fox, but he was very grateful for this one.

...Maybe he’d give  _ Zootopia _ a rewatch. Nick Wilde might be easier for him to understand now.


End file.
